Book 4 Chapter 1

The Assembly of the Bingbong Movie Guardians

As if densely embedded in jet-black silk,

Star clusters scattered haphazardly across the sky.

Even the moon, hanging in the heavens, half concealed

Its form in darkness on this half-moon night.

As if relying more on starlight than faint moonlight,

There were moving crowds.

They were flocking into a building located in a corner of the Cheonmu Academy. It was undoubtedly well past the academy's official bedtime, deep in the dead of night, yet they entered boldly and unhesitatingly, defying academy rules. All of them had white cloths tied around their foreheads. The white cloths, dimly reflecting the half-moon’s light, allowed them to recognize each other. This white cloth was not limited to just this meeting but was their signal and their promise in all their endeavors.

The building, located on a street dense with clubs, was quite spacious. However, once about a hundred people filled the interior, its capacity was quickly reached. The inside of the building was cramped due to the crowd.

On the stage at the very front of the building, a portrait was attached with great care, without a single wrinkle. Everyone was gazing intently at the portrait with eyes that mixed hope, excitement, emotion, and longing. As if mesmerized…

The subject of the portrait, placed on the finest silk fabric without a single stain, blemish, or tiny wrinkle, was a woman of such exquisite beauty that her race was questionable, making one wonder if she was human with similar racial characteristics or a celestial maiden lost and wandering the earth. She could be defined as the epitome of beauty.

If Biryuyeon had seen this painting (though he was not present), he would have exclaimed, "Huh? That woman!" and been unable to contain his surprise.

She was none other than the victim who, just a week ago, Biryuyeon, while aimlessly wandering the Cheonmu Academy, had coincidentally encountered at a pavilion named Unhyangjeong, meaning "a place where the scent of clouds lingers." On that day, although it was not a matter of money or material possessions, if the perpetrator could be described as a shameless human with layers of steel plating on his face, it could be argued that she had lost something significant to Biryuyeon in an instant, something that "wouldn't wear out." The incident had been so sudden that she was unable to guard against it.

At that moment, a handsome young man, appearing to be the leader of the assembled white-cloth wearers, stood on the stage, his back to the portrait. His usually handsome and elegant features were gone, replaced by a gauntness that made his face appear almost deathly pale. Though his face was handsome enough to stir the hearts of countless women with a single smile, he had become as pale as a blank sheet of paper due to a certain incident that occurred a week prior and the immense mental and physical anguish he had endured since.

His right hand, which should have been wielding a sword and unleashing sword energy, was inexplicably wrapped in pristine white bandages and still appeared difficult to move. If Biryuyeon had seen him, he would have asked, "He looks familiar, who is he?" This was none other than Seonpunggeomryong Wiji-cheon.

Originally, today's meeting was not a regular assembly. However, due to the Unhyangjeong incident, which was enough to throw the entire Cheon Gwando into a vortex of shock, an emergency assembly had been hastily convened. The reality and truth of the Unhyangjeong incident that occurred a week ago had been secretly revealed only to a select few, not widely publicized. The people gathered here today were precisely those select few (but wouldn't calling them a "few" be an exaggeration when they fill an entire building?).

A Gwando, upon hearing the news immediately after the incident of Biryuyeon stealing her lips a week ago, trembled with heart-wrenching anger and lamented,

"My two ears have fulfilled their function as of today and are no longer useful. I have heard words I should not have heard. Ears that did not filter such facts are no longer of use to me."

He recounted that his blood felt like it was flowing backward and his heart was being squeezed as if about to rupture.

Another Gwando exclaimed, "That's absolutely a lie! Such a thing could never happen to our goddess!" and in his anguish, he mercilessly pricked his left hand with a needle and bit his lip until it bled. He spared his right hand, the one he used to wield his sword.

Some people, rolling their eyes white, went so far as to threaten to cut off their own ears, while there were also many radicals who attempted to summarily execute the messenger who brought the news of the incident for defamation or spreading false information.

Numerous others wailed and raved in uncontrollable anger. They must have wished to cut off their own ears or tear their eardrums to prevent hearing such rumors. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but the impact of the incident was immense.

Given the reaction of the ordinary members who had only heard it through word of mouth, the anger of Seonpunggeomryong Wiji-cheon, the commander-like figure and the sole witness at the time, could only be imagined. He harbored a desire to stab out his own eyes, to blind himself, driven by an immeasurable anger, shock, despair, and shame that surged from an unfathomable abyss. He wanted to deny what he had witnessed and what he had suffered. His feelings for her were that immense. However, the reason he couldn't carry out the deed was that he still had one thing left to do: thorough retribution, punishment, and revenge against the evildoer. That thirst for revenge was one of the reasons for today's assembly.

The white-cloth wearers who, at this late hour, were awake and brazenly disregarding academy rules were none other than her personal guard. In their daily lives, they were ordinary, exemplary Gwandos, no different from other students. However, when it came to one particular issue, they were prepared to abandon everything. They served a transcendent being who made them willing to cast aside everything without hesitation. A personal guard who existed solely for her. A group of fanatics who would risk their lives for even a single smile from her. Madmen who would stop at nothing to gain her love. People, both by their own admission and by others, called them the Bingbong Movie Personal Guard and Protectorate. And the instigator of this fanatic group was Seonpunggeomryong Wiji-cheon.

Seonpunggeomryong Wiji-cheon. Given his outstanding martial prowess, intellect, talent, and qualifications, no one would deny that he had gone astray. His abilities were so exceptional that they stood out even within the academy. His life's trajectory had to be abruptly corrected upon Bingbaekbong Na Yerin's admission to Cheonmu Academy. The reason was that he had been completely captivated by the beauty of the newly admitted Na Yerin.

Her extreme beauty was so remarkable that it praised the artistry of the divine, and it gave birth to countless sufferers of love's fever. However, even the fervent and unparalleled wooing of countless young martial artists was insufficient to move her icy heart. She declared her heart firmly closed, with no intention of engaging with any rational person. The colder her response, like eternal ice crystals, the more her followers increased.

There were too many eyes targeting her. In response, Wiji-cheon decided to create a protective barrier. This was the background for the creation of the personal guard organization, the Bingbong Movie Personal Guard and Protectorate. It is questionable whether someone of Wiji-cheon's caliber needed to arbitrarily form and lead such a group against the wishes of the person concerned.

Until a week ago, Seonpunggeomryong Wiji-cheon, as the leader of the Bingbong Movie Personal Guard and Protectorate, or Bingbong Protectorate for short, had led enthusiastic young talents in a fervent campaign of love. However, the incident a week ago had inflicted irreparable mental and physical wounds upon him. He could not escape the guilt of failing to protect her.

Why had they formed a personal guard? Wasn't it to protect and defend her? Yet, to be so utterly defeated by a mere rookie Gwando whose identity and face he didn't even know was a reality he couldn't believe and didn't want to believe. His pride, as high as the heavens, refused to acknowledge that fact. However, the wound on his right arm, still visible like a crawling snake, made it impossible to deny. A wound inflicted by that guy, of all people… and in such a humiliating manner…

Wiji-cheon had never imagined that there would be someone who would consider him, one of the Nine Dragons of the Nine Dragons and Seven Peaks, and hold back in their fight. The blades of shame, disgrace, and anger cruelly tore his heart apart, and naturally, he, with his greatly wounded heart, resolved to seek revenge. That person was undoubtedly filth that must not be allowed to exist, that must be eliminated.

The reason these people, all wearing white cloths that would be perfectly fitting if they had "Love" written largely in the center, had gathered was to impeach and discipline a certain individual. The person responsible for this great public outrage, who had committed a grave sin against their goddess, was not present at the moment. They all lamented that if they had spotted him, they would have immediately broken his limbs, extracted his organs to make soup, peeled his skin to make jerky, and cut his body into thirty-six pieces. Their anger was that intense. At Wiji-cheon's command, the portrait of Bingbaekbong Na Yerin, hung behind the stage, was removed, and a sense of regret filled everyone's eyes.

Then, as a new portrait, resembling a wanted poster, was hung, an uncontrollable fury and hatred erupted from everyone's eyes once more. The subject of the wanted poster was none other than Biryuyeon.

Biryuyeon's damnable face, as it appeared, caused the brush of emotion to be heavily dipped in the ink of anger, hatred, and murderous intent, and it was painted across everyone's pupils and hearts in a single stroke. Like an indelible imprint.

Once the recognition process of the target of their hatred was complete, everyone present, as if by prior agreement, drew their weapons. The momentum was exceptionally fierce. Subsequently, the sword energy, imbued with the anger, hatred, and murderous intent emanating from their swords, tore Biryuyeon's portrait into a thousand pieces. Each line of sword energy drawn, each piece of the torn portrait, contained their hatred and anger. Their common goal was to make the real person identical to the portrait.

"Death! Death! Death! Death! Death! Death!"

Everyone, driven to madness, raised their right arms and shouted. Their cries overflowed with murderous intent. While those with normal, healthy thinking processes wouldn't dream of such a thing, their reason had already been paralyzed. From the moment he acted thoughtlessly a week ago, Biryuyeon had become their greatest enemy. And that fact would not change until his existence was eradicated from this world.

As the portrait fragments, torn by their hatred, fluttered down like snow, Wiji-cheon shouted. It was a voice of instigation.

"Who is our worthy enemy to be hated?"

"Biryuyeon! Biryuyeon!"

Like fanatics, the crowd raised their weapons in unison and shouted.

"Who is the evildoer whose existence should not be acknowledged in this world?"

"Biryuyeon! Biryuyeon!"

"Who is our greatest enemy?"

Instead of the expected term "Cheongeollyeong" (a term for a great enemy), what came from their mouths was not that. Cheongeollyeong, designated as the greatest public enemy by both the righteous and unrighteous paths, was being ignored at this very moment.

"Biryuyeon! Biryuyeon!"

For them, Biryuyeon was someone they would have liked to chop up and chew.

"That's right, fellow disciples! Let's make them personally realize how severe the price is for offending our sacred goddess. A guy who deserves to be thrown into Cheongeollyeong's dark lair… dared to… touch our young lady Na… with those filthy lips… Khuhuhuhk!"

Wiji-cheon was overcome with emotion and could not finish speaking. The incident had been a super-strong shock to him and the fifty members of the Bingbong Movie Guardians. The fact that he, despite being by her side, couldn't prevent that wicked act was still etched in Wiji-cheon's heart as an eternal regret.

Today's meeting was a gathering to eradicate the existence of the evildoer Biryuyeon, the perpetrator and ringleader of that incident, from this world. Their common anger, hatred, and murderous intent were focused solely on Biryuyeon. The immense negative energy (evil thoughts or wishes) gathered here unleashed countless grand and diverse assassination plans by the second. Each one was a captivating proposal that appealed to their minds. There were so many that it was difficult to choose just one. They all deluded themselves into thinking that the elimination of Biryuyeon was the will of heaven.

Hundreds of murder plans against one individual filled their minds and were voiced aloud in concrete methods. However, there was no one present capable of boldly realizing the conceived plans. They were currently losing their reason and only raising their voices. As the night deepened, the heat of their murderous intent grew hotter.

"Sigh, this is becoming difficult…"

Among them, there was one individual maintaining his composure and letting out a sigh. He appeared three times as large and four times as heavy as the others, but no one paid him any attention.

Unaware of the existence of a group driven by extreme anger and holding him as the target of their resentment, Biryuyeon, meanwhile, was committing an act that his personal guard would curse and damn him for. He was investigating the personal background of the person whose lips he had stolen.

Since he had left the scene without even asking her name by mistake, Biryuyeon, who knew nothing of Cheon Gwando, had to find a way to satisfy his curiosity elsewhere. This act was pouring cold water on the personal guard's efforts to prevent him from approaching within three hundred jang of her.

Surprisingly, the method was simple, and furthermore, it saved him the trouble of searching. It was the existence of the "Lover of Beautiful Girls 18-Gold-Included Information Gathering Club," the Aesonjeo Club, into which he had inadvertently joined. Judging that the Aesonjeo Club would know about such a beauty, Biryuyeon decided to use the Aesonjeo Club, relying on Byun-tae's perverted tendencies and the passion and results of his dark desires.

"Wow, really? You're finding out so easily."

The results were as expected. Without even needing much explanation, Byun-tae was able to provide detailed information about who the woman he had encountered was, using only the date, time, and location of Biryuyeon's presence that day.

Moreover, the incident from a week ago had become quite famous due to the sudden and inexplicable injury of Wiji-cheon, one of the Nine Dragons of Cheonmu, making it easier to obtain information.

"So, her name at 'Jeonghyang-un' was Na Yerin?"

"That's right. The person at Unhyangjeong at that time a week ago was indeed Bingbaekbong Young Lady Na Yerin. But how do you know her?"

Suddenly, Byun-tae asked, his eyes gleaming ominously. No matter how he thought about it, Biryuyeon wasn't in a position to know her. If access were only moderately difficult, Byun-tae wouldn't have complained like this.

"It was just by chance. Why?"

Biryuyeon casually brushed it off with a smile.

"No, strange rumors keep tickling my ears…"

Saying that, Byun-tae pulled something out of a box and showed it. The painting that then appeared before Biryuyeon's eyes was of the very woman Biryuyeon had met.

"That's right! It's definitely her! And it looks exactly the same."

The portrait was so magnificent that it elicited gasps of admiration even from Biryuyeon, who had no particular talent for painting. Even in the painting, her mysterious, pure, and noble demeanor remained undimmed and vibrantly alive. The portrait perfectly reproduced her image on a single sheet of paper, as if she didn't exist in this world. Like a miracle…

It was clearly a portrait made with immense care and effort. The terrifying dedication and passion embedded in every brushstroke were palpable even to Biryuyeon's skin. What kind of thoughts and mental state did the artist of this painting possess? It was certainly not a painting that could be produced in a sane state.

"Isn't it amazing? It's the ultimate and final masterpiece of the great master So Ryong-hwa!"

So Ryong-hwa, the creator of the painting, known as Cheon Hwa Pil Ryok (Heavenly Painting Brushstroke), was a master portraitist praised for his heavenly talent. His paintings were said to even contain the soul of the subject. He had originally come here at the request of her personal guard, the Bingbong Movie Guardians, to paint her portrait. A substantial reward was prepared for it. However, things took a strange turn.

Cheon Hwa Pil Ryok had the honor of meeting her in person and immediately fell completely in love at first sight. He began to suffer from lovesickness, his heart racing. His condition was so severe that he couldn't even hold a brush, let alone paint. Consequently, the work did not proceed properly. In his life, he had met hundreds of beautiful women for work, but he had never been captivated by his subject before, so this was a great shock. The shock was so immense that it shook his soul.

After languishing in lovesickness for tens of days, with the painting set aside, one day he suddenly picked up his brush again and stood before the canvas. He neglected food and sleep, threw aside rest, and frantically devoted himself to painting. Then, in a dazed state, he wielded his brush madly for seven days and nights, completing a single portrait. It was the culmination of his skill, effort, and spirit, his lifelong masterpiece. However, unfortunately, it was unfinished.

So Ryong-hwa, having burned all his passionate devotion, completed the painting madly, but he couldn't bring himself to paint her pupils, leaving them as blank white spaces. Feeling that he lacked the skill for the final touch, which should be called "dotting the phoenix's eyes" rather than "dotting the dragon's eyes," he despaired and felt ashamed of his insufficient skill. He agonized, thinking he could never express the abyss-like universe contained within her eyes with his brush tip. Then, he began to wield his brush madly again. An indelible madness flowed through his eyes as he painted unconsciously.

After about a month spent in madness, he was finally able to place the two dots that fulfilled his wish. From the moment the eyes of the phoenix, deemed the most beautiful in this world, were painted, it was no longer just a painting. It emitted a magical aura as if it were a living creature. It radiated a charm that was enough to captivate people with just the painting. It was so astonishing that it defied human craftsmanship, and by then, he was no longer sane.

Finally, having completely lost his self and painted her eyes madly, he declared his retirement from painting, dissatisfied even amidst everyone's praise. Even that work, lauded as divine skill, did not satisfy him. Having burned all his soul to complete the painting, he had no strength left to paint anything else. Declaring that there was nothing more beautiful in this world, and that he could no longer paint anything more beautiful, he disappeared, leaving behind a legend.

Countless people searched for his final and greatest work, the portrait, but no one could find it. That portrait was the unique masterpiece that vividly captured her living image and her indescribable, mysterious beauty. It was natural for everyone to be desperately searching for it.

Especially, her personal guard, the Bingbong Protectorate, searched high and low with all their might but could not find it. The legendary portrait, which no one has found and is still being sought, was now preciously hanging on one of the walls of the Aesonjeo Club.

Given its immense value, it was puzzling how Byun-tae managed to obtain that painting.

Biryuyeon was currently scanning the materials collected by the Aesonjeo Club regarding Na Yerin. As he carefully browsed the materials, Biryuyeon suddenly said to Byun-tae,

"By the way, there's less material than I expected."

It was true. Considering her value, the materials about her were considerably lacking compared to others. For such a peerlessly beautiful woman, the three volumes of books were too little. Compared to the materials on top-tier beauties, which were at least five volumes, it was too scarce. Normally, it should have been at least fifteen volumes.

"Don't even mention it. Do you know how difficult it is to collect materials about her? The effort and sacrifice involved in gathering this much are not small. Collecting materials about her is too difficult. We barely managed to gather this much. The veil of people surrounding her is too thick. Approaching her carelessly is bound to result in injury. Of course, that doesn't mean I'll give up…"

"Hmm, I see."

Biryuyeon nodded, his expression showing understanding.

Name: Bingbaekbong Na Yerin

Age: 21

Height: ?

Weight: ?

Hair: Black

Eyes: Black

Sambu Score: Many people were injured trying to find out.

Special Notes: Universally recognized as the most beautiful woman at Cheonmu Academy. According to our investigation, she shows slight symptoms of autism. She is the legitimate granddaughter of Murim Alliance Leader Jin Cheon-ryeom Geomsin Na Baek-cheon and the adopted disciple of Cheonmu Three Stars Geomhu (Sword Queen) Yi Ok-sang. The martial arts she possesses are the Baekhon Geomryeom Cheon Geom Sik (White Soul Sword Thunder Heaven Sword Style) from Murim Alliance Leader Na Baek-cheon and the Hansang Okryeong Sin Geom (Cold Wounded Jade Spirit Divine Sword) from Geomhu. She has inherited the true teachings of two of the Four Great Sword Gods of the righteous path. Her current martial arts level is unpredictable.

"In short, she's not an easy opponent! Isn't it worth challenging someone like this!"

It seemed Biryuyeon had no intention of giving up.